View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
harpospeaking

Joined: 13 Sep 2005 Posts: 194 Location: San Diego, CA
|
Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 5:17 am Post subject: |
|
|
I learned a new word in French, and I love the way it sounds. It's "cacahuete" which means peanut. I love the fact it's a legitimate word that starts with "caca."  _________________ "Help! Help! I'm being repressed!" --- Monty Python and the Holy Grail
http://onegirlonehouse.wordpress.com |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
charlsy
Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 136 Location: France, Bordeaux
|
Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 1:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Harpospeaking, I give you a new one : cacophonie, meaning a horrible mess of sounds ! and why should I give you this nice new french word, say you ? well, it so happens that sometimes we "hijack" it and make it "cacaphonie" ! meaning about the same thing, plus the added touch of caca... silly but effective... |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
lpennin104
Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 8
|
Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 6:54 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I like the word used by the English--Cheeky. It always makes me smile. Rather like snarky, I'm sure. _________________ Linda |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Pamela Therese
Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 6 Location: Emu Plains (Jacarandas at the foot of the Blue Mountains) New South Wales, Australia
|
Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 2:37 am Post subject: |
|
|
Another one ... didleysquat ... a word used when the word "nothing" is supposed to be used but sounds too empty .......... a little friendlier perhaps  _________________ Friends are the flowers in life's garden |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Griffin

Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 932 Location: England
|
Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Diddleysquat is what I know about physics, sigh! But I do love the thought of smorgasbord It's the thought of a feast... mmmm, feeeast!
Cheeky always reminds me of the cheeks (upper of course, ahem) when the cheeky person smiles!
Judy,
ta, I knew there was a white something in there... and it sounds very poetic too.
Charlsy,
I like Captain Haddock's explosions too! I used to call my brother a bashi-bazouk... without knowing what a bashi-bazouk was! And Mephistopheles reminds me of T.S. Eliot's book, 'Old Possum's book of Practical Cats'. I am sure-ish that there is a cat called Mephistopheles in there, tho' it could well have been Macavity the mystery cat...!
I like possum too. Our first cat was a stray and adopted us. In memory of Old Possum's book, my mum called the cat, Possum and so she was. She never played dead tho', she had too much moxie - another favourite word of mine! _________________ Confusion comes fitted as standard. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
David
Joined: 30 Sep 2004 Posts: 1855 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
|
Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 7:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
You are quite right Griffin, both MaCavity and Mephistopheles are Elliot wonders. _________________ Vivant Linguae Mortuae!! |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Judy

Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 1196 Location: buried under a pile of books somewhere in Adelaide, South Australia
|
Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:33 am Post subject: |
|
|
No, T.S Elliott's cat was Mr. Mistoffelees.
Mephistopheles' name is associated with the story of Faust, a scholar who sold his soul to the demon Mephistopheles for knowledge. _________________ Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness
www.cupcakerecipebook.com.au |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
charlsy
Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 136 Location: France, Bordeaux
|
Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 8:35 am Post subject: |
|
|
Griffin, can you read french ? I seem to remember reading something about that, but maybe it was another member ! anyway, here is a link with the insults of Haddock ! And the meaning of the unusual ones !
http://bedes.ifrance.com/insultes.html
For instance a bashibouzouk is a soldier from the old ottoman empire.
And Méphistophélès sounds so beautiful, one of the many names of the Devil, the best one being Lucifer IMO (Bringer of light, for those who did not have a latin course in high school !). Although the original Shaitan does have a nice ring... Now I'm gonna pass for a devil-worshipper ! Where do words lead us !!! |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Griffin

Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 932 Location: England
|
Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 12:06 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks David, I was sure of them... but not quite sure enough!
Judy,
As a fan of Gothic-Romantic literature, I do know Mephistopheles from Faust, both by Marlowe and Goethe. Wonderful stuff too!
charlsy,
I can read a bit of French, tho' I am sadly not fluent, sigh! It's such a beautiful language. Thanks for the insults of Haddock, I shall look them up and practice them!
Mephistopheles and Lucifer do sound beautiful, better than Beelzebub, I think. Lucifers in Britain used to be the name for safety matches, probably because they were bringers of light in their own humble way!
I find that words inevitably take on extra meanings depending on what they mean to us in their contexts. As someone who loves myth I love the sound of Aphrodite but I appreciate that I would as she was goddess of Love! Tho' my favourite is Bacchus as god of wine!!
Oh and I like the words Languid and Linguini... mmmm! _________________ Confusion comes fitted as standard. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
charlsy
Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 136 Location: France, Bordeaux
|
Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:17 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Linguini ! there was a movie, with David Bowie and Rosanna Arquette, called "The Linguini incident" ! Impossible translation in french for such a title !
And how about taxidermist... or undertaker ! in french "croquemort" (they used to bite a toe to check the dead was truly dead, so the legend goes, hence the name "croquemort", the one who bites dead people... Come to think of it, undertaker... the one who takes people under ? six feet under ! |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
David
Joined: 30 Sep 2004 Posts: 1855 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
|
Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 3:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Judy! Of course---Mistoffelees!
thanks for the correction! _________________ Vivant Linguae Mortuae!! |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Griffin

Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 932 Location: England
|
Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 5:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Quote: | in french "croquemort" (they used to bite a toe to check the dead was truly dead, so the legend goes, hence the name "croquemort", the one who bites dead people... |
I do like that! Croquemort sounds wonderful! But that legend with it... ooooh, nice and creepy... and what about if you weren't dead?!!! Ouch!!
I rather like the Linguini Incident... I may have to use that one...  _________________ Confusion comes fitted as standard. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Erin
Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 1654 Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound
|
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 4:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I find spelt hilarious. _________________ "It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."
"It's hot ham water." |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Griffin

Joined: 09 Jun 2006 Posts: 932 Location: England
|
Posted: Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Erin,
Surely it depends on how it's spelt? I wondered if spelt was what fur trappers used to say when they were asked what the fur was... ''Spelt, innit!' _________________ Confusion comes fitted as standard. |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
Erin
Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 1654 Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound
|
Posted: Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:38 am Post subject: |
|
|
Griffin,
Thanks for the full belly laugh. _________________ "It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."
"It's hot ham water." |
|
Back to top |
|
 |
|